Freedom
by LollyC
Summary: Narcissa/Hermione pairing set after The Deathly hallows. Narcissa explores her new found freedom
1. A new beginning

She sat huddled close to her son, her husband looking crestfallen to her right. All around her cheers of elation could be heard, the sound of families rejoicing and hope lingered in the air. The dark lord was dead, finally dead this time. D_estroyed. _All Narcissa Malfoy could feel at that moment in time was relief, undiluted relief running through her veins. No longer would she be riddled with fear or a prisoner in her own home. Images ran through her mind of family dinners round the table, watching her husband and son bond with a fondness in her eyes. Of course in reality these images were simply mythical but for Narcissa the future now looked bright.

She gazed around her surroundings, only then did she notice how tired her fellow witches and wizards looked and how their numbers were significantly reduced than mere hours ago. It surprised her considerably to feel the heaviness in the pit of her stomach and the feeling of uneasiness wash over her, if she didn't know herself better she would've swore she felt the signs of guilt.

"Lucius," Narcissa murmured as if suddenly aware of were she was, "We shouldn't be here, we need to leave"

Her Husband rose his head slowly, as if riddled with fatigue, only then was it apparent that his face was more lacking in colour than usual and his eyes bloodshot giving the appearance of great mourning. The look he gave his wife was one of pure distaste and he spoke as if it pained him to do so, "You leave Narcissa, but I am staying, I wont leave until my lord rises again" He paused and looked at his son, "Take the boy and leave, I will not fail my lord again, Bellatrix is gone but I will not leave." As he spoke his words became more desperate and he wore an expression of failure, never before, thought Narcissa had she both pitied and despised her husband like she did now.

She rose cautiously, herself feeling worn down by the mornings events and took a final look at her husband without saying a word, she knew she would never see him again, that was always to be the way, the only thing binding their marriage was fear and obligation, that imposed by the dark lord. Now she was free. _Freedom. _A whole new concept.

On her way out of the Great hall she felt her shoulders collide into another, she mustn't have been watching were she was going, her eyes after all being used to looking solely at the ground. She rose her head to find the Granger girl dusting herself down, almost about to scowl away she stopped herself, she herself had helped Potter, there was no sides any more, no one would be watching her to make sure of her loyalty. She took a deep breath, "Thank you" she said truthfully to the bewildered young witch before making her way outside into the morning sun.


	2. Reverie

_**(Hey, thanks everyone for reading this so far, those who have reviewed I really appreciate it and all feedback both negative and positive will be noted and any improvements suggested will be seriously considered. So, I need to explain something, whilst there is a lack of Hermione/Narcissa interaction so far I'm just trying to get back into the swing of writing and into the character of Narcissa (this is the first time I have attempted writing a story centred around her). I apologize that my chapters are short due to the amount of college work I am getting but I PROMISE I will write like hell over the weekend. P.S. Italics highlight a flashback or dream.)**_

With a flick of her wand Narcissa let herself into Malfoy Manor, stepping into the dimly lit hallway and breathing in the familiar musky smell she became accustomed to associating with her home. _Home,_ the word itself suggested warmth and security yet for the past year that was entirely the opposite of what the Manor had been for her, ever since the Dark Lord, or Voldermort as she reminded herself to call him now had claimed her home as his own, his base to carry out his evil plans. With a deep breath Narcissa gave another flick of her wand all the wood that boarded up the windows in her home disintegrated into ashes and for the first time in months light began to filter through the windows creating fragile shapes across the floor. Despite the dust and the smell still lingering the house suddenly felt more homely, a little less dark and she herself felt a little less constricted in her own body.

20 minutes later and thanks to her own magical ability Narcissa perched on her favourite armchair in the corner of the drawing room and smiled for the first time, gone were the dark corners and dust and all that could be smelt was flowers, her home, at least on the ground floor bore no resemblance to the hovel Voldermort and his death eaters had favoured. It was amazing, Narcissa reflected, how much could change in the space of a day.

Several hours later Narcissa woke, the setting sun shining on her face, her whole body ached from the unnatural position she had fallen asleep in. For several moments she slumped perplexed until recollections of the days events began to flood into her mind, images that brought hope to her core. However she couldn't get away from the fact that she was exhausted, despite her magical status she couldn't escape from the basic human emotions: tiredness, hunger, happiness... It was still dawning on Narcissa that no one could be immortalised, not even Voldemort. It was time, she concluded, to start living. But first, she sighed, it was time to sleep.

She rose wearily to her feet and began to climb the stairs, gazing at the pictures littered on the wall, as she reached the landing she paused a sense of deja vu coming over her as her mind took her back to a night 3 months ago...

"_Silence, Lucius!" came the reptilian voice, his tone one of the highest authority. "I think we all know your opinions are of little importance to me, your family is of little importance to me, I merely still permit your existence for the sake of Bellatrix, she seems to believe you and the poor excuse for son are of some use to me."_

_Outside the door, Narcissa paused, her body unable to move, unable to escape the fear she always felt upon hearing his voice. She knew how dangerous it was to be found in this position, she could only shudder at the punishment she was bound to receive if he found her here. But she had to, she had no choice, this was her home, her family that he was destroying._

"_My lord," came the drawling voice of her husband, no longer beholding his usual air of arrogance, "I beg of you, give me another chance, I wont let you down, I gave my home to you, my son to your will, I am here only to serve you" There was an air of love and devotion to the words that he spoke, the knowledge of which made Narcissa sick to her stomach, she realised then that Lucius would put Voldermort before her and perhaps his son. It was at this moment that she finally realised, in the end, when the day come, it was Voldermort she wished to be defeated, not the Potter boy. Any hope of freedom lay in Harry and the order..._

Somewhere close by an Owl began hooting, drawing Narcissa out of her twisted reverie, hurrying into the closest bedroom she found a tawny brown owl tapping impatiently upon her window. Untying the parchment from around its leg she paused in confusion not recognising either the owl or the neat scrawl of writing addressing her. A feeling of dread seeped through her; what if he wasn't dead? What if the fight wasn't over? What if he had realised her betrayal? Of course this was nonsense, if there was any possibility this may be the case, she would be dead beyond reason before any owl could reach her.

Slightly shaken by the possibility she unrolled the parchment which shaking hands:

Mrs Malfoy, it read, I feel after yesterday we need to talk. Please meet me outside The leaky cauldron tomorrow at 9pm. This is of utmost importance.

Underneath the cryptic message was a sprawling signature, the signature of Hermione Granger.


	3. Seeing

_**(Hey everyone, I'm sorry for the lack of updates this weekend, we have had a few family crisis' which were unexpected and between that and work I was physically unable to write an update for more than 5 minutes at any given time. But I have a couple of hours now so here it goes...**_

_**This chapter goes back to the previous day and as I have explored the hours after the final battle from Narcissa's angle this will be from Hermione's :) Enjoy! )**_

Hermione was aching all over, she was exhausted and drained both physically and mentally. Although she and her friends were not defeated, in the physical sense anyway, she felt as if she had withstood a great hardship. As she sat in the great hall, the Weasleys to her left and Harry to her right who was being congratulated continuously by other wizarding families she felt painfully alone. Relieved the war was over, of course, but the sight of rejoicing families pained her to her very heart, she felt pain for those who had been lost in battle and she too felt pain for her own injuries and sorrow. She wished more than ever someone was there to comfort her.

She stood slowly and mumbled her excuses to those around her before walking to the door way hoping to sneak to the Gryffindor common room and curl up in her favourite armchair, alone with her thoughts. She was not so lucky it seemed. She was a mere five feet from her escape when she felt her shoulder collide with another momentarily winding her with shock. She looked up hastily to offer her apologies to find she was face to face with Narcissa Malfoy, a woman she was unsure of whether to fear or pity. She had faint black rims around her eyes denoting her tiredness, her usually immaculate blonde her looked unkempt and wild and her robes stained with unknown substances, she looked like someone Hermione never knew existed. Hermione was about to apologize when Narcissa beat her to it, Hermione had never imagined she would hear a sincere apology from any member of the Malfoy family in her life.

"It's nothing" Hermione stuttered, her voice coming out as no more than a squeak. She made some form of gesture which she hoped looked like a polite dismissal before turning to leave. Once again Narcissa surprised her by touching her arm gently, her fingers like a caressing wave, the contact made Hermione turn around and for a single moment the two witches eyes met like magnets, "Thank you" The blonde said in a tone that could only be described as shy before walking away into the morning sun.

Hermione stood perplexed for a moment unable to understand what had just happened, all she could understand was how vulnerable she has felt under Narcissa's gaze, her eyes, though a different colour had the same sharpness to them as her sister's, a woman Hermione had watched die mere hours ago, a woman whose eyes she had looked into and pleaded with as her body had been tortured. Hermione's body shuddered at the memory and then her world went black.

"Hermione, dear can you hear me?" came the Scottish voice of Minerva Mcgonagal waking Hermione, she was automatically confused about why her teacher was in her bedroom, groggily she opened her eyes to see the familiar sights of Hogwarts hospital wing, a room herself and her friends had grown used to over their school years.

"Oh thank heavens" her teacher continued sounding relieved beyond words, "You gave us all quite a fright, we thought you were perhaps suffering from the after effects of a dark spell"

Hermione looked up at the elder witch who looked as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, she too looked tired, the only sign of her alertness was the emeralds that still shone in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I had you worried, I guess I must've blacked out, I don't really remember much" Hermione rubbed her eyes, all that she was saying was true, all she remembered was Narcissa, her eyes...

"The war seems to have exhausted everyone dear" Mcgonagal confirmed with a sad smile, "Harry has returned to the Burrow along with the Weasleys, whilst the other students have gone to be with their families too, Hogwarts has decided to remain closed until Monday to give time to those who need to mourn the lost" She paused with a smile in Hermione's direction, whose eyes were drifting shut as she listened, "I see this is too much for you" she continued placing her hand over Hermiones, "Ill come back to see you in the morning once you've rested. Goodnight Miss Granger, you've done us all proud today"

As Hermione watched her mentor walk away she closed her eyes seeking solitude in the darkness that was consuming her mind, her jumble of thoughts. For some reason she couldn't get Narcissa out of her mind. Why had she thanked her? And why had she caused Hermione to react in the way she did?

It simply didn't make sense to Hermione and confused her. Confusion wasn't an emotion Hermione dealt with often, she could understand most things thrown her way but she didn't understand this and it scared her. She had to see Narcissa again.

_**(Next update will include their meeting and should be up in a few days)**_


	4. Chapter 4

**(Thank you all for reviewing and adding this story to your favourites, I hope you're still enjoying it. I'm not really sure where to take this story now so if anybody has suggestions they would be really appreciated :D )**

With a faint '_pop'_ Narcissa apparated into a dark corner next to the leaky cauldron, an area of Diagon alley which, luckily for the infamous witch was deserted. Pulling her coat snug around her torso to protect herself from the billowing wind she scanned the area for trouble, a custom she had grown accustomed to during the 'dark' years. The heels of her shoes made sharp taps against the cobbles of the walkway and she made her way into the open, as she made her entrance into the Inn, she seemed to finally realise the absurdity of what she was doing. She, Narcissa Malfoy, Wife of notorious Death Eater was about to have a, what she perceived to be 'friendly' drink with the female member of 'The golden trio', the notion itself seemed positively humorous. In fact Narcissa was nervous and as by nature increasingly suspicious over Hermione's motives, after all they were hardly friends even in the new world.

As she walked into the dingy Inn, the creaking of the door announcing her arrival, the several pairs of eyes of the punters turned to face her filled with loathing, she was not a figure of public sympathy it seemed and she could already feel the feeling of humiliation wash over her whilst she prayed her emotions wouldn't betray her. Her image had to be preserved it was now the only tool she had. She allowed her eyes to scan the room looking for her mysterious companion who she noted was thankfully sat in the corner booth at least allowing some privacy for whatever conversation she required.

Hermione first checked her watch to affirm her belief that Narcissa was late, the impression that she was being stood up increasing, as her gaze rose to scan the room she noticed with relief a cloaked figure heading in her direction. From under the hood Hermione could see the piercing blue eyes of Narcissa's locking with hers and the sense of grace and self importance radiating from every step she took.

As she reached the table Narcissa pulled down her hood shaking her blond hair free around her face, gazing down at her 'date' she greeted her with a simple, "Miss Granger", she noticed the youth and innocence still lingering in the young witch's face despite the recent events, with a polite nod she sat opposite across the table. With a hand gesture towards the bar and as if by magic to drinks appeared upon the table. "Hello Narcissa" Hermione answered with a small, shy smile, "You're probably wondering why I asked you to join me tonight?

With a nod Narcissa granted Hermione the permission to carry on speaking as she took a sip from a drink.

"As you're probably aware your husband was captured on several accounts of murder, torture and crimes against the magical community..." Hermione looked down at the notes she had prepared with a pause but was interrupted by Narcissa, her voice sending a chill through Hermione.

"And this is the concern of you for what reason?" her voice was laced with ice, her facial expression showing no emotion as to betray her cool. She had never imagined Hermione would want to discuss the new living quarters of her Husband in Azkaban.

"I erm, I just thought it was my duty to let you know..."

"_Your duty?_" scorned Narcissa, "Your duty as to inform me of the whereabouts of my husband! I was informed that you where a witch of great academic talent Miss Granger, you of all people should know that a magical marriage allows me to know the location and situation of my husband at all times!" _Unfortunately_ Narcissa added as an afterthought to herself.

"Im sorry" Hermione uncharacteristically stuttered, a blush rising in her cheeks. "I'm just trying to help you, not that you need help, I just..." Hermione's voice trailed off as she became lost of what to say without offending Narcissa further. "I should go."

"Miss Granger sit down" the elder witch commanded as she began to regret the harsh attitude that her pride had forced her to adopt. With a momentary pause she said "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have acted that way, please sit back down"

Hermione sat down feeling slightly confused about her own motives for the meeting, sure enough Mcgonagal had asked her to help to support those whose worlds would've changed after the Great war, but on reflection she realised this whole rendezvous with Narcissa wasn't exactly what she had meant.

"My husband, is still a subject I am not ready to tackle at the moment, albeit we are estranged but I am still a Malfoy by name if not fully by nature and I still have to make some changes to my personality to fit into this new world" Narcissa continued, herself surprised by the honesty and insight she was sharing with Hermione. "I do appreciate you telling me but I'm sure an owl would've sufficed instead of this..." She Gestured to the close proximity and drinks they were sharing, "I have a feeling you are not telling me the real reasons for wanting to see me" With a somewhat coy smile lingering on her lips as she watched the colour rush to her companions cheeks Narcissa realised she was actually enjoying herself and her company despite the topic of discussion.

Hermione felt flustered and under scrutiny as she realised Narcissa was staring at her with a gaze both filled with curiosity and enjoyment, she felt as if every move she made was being taken and noted and the sensation was completely new to her, if she didn't know better she would swear Narcissa was enjoying watching her squirm.

"Well," Hermione gulped down her drink nervously, "You've been on my mind."

Narcissa suppressed a smile, "I would've thought you of all people Hermione have much better things to be doing in this new world than thinking of me, I have to admit I'm surprised"

Hermione sat with her hands in her lap looking down, "You'll think it strange of course, heaven knows I do but I cant seem to get you out of my head, I just had a feeling that I needed to see you."


End file.
